A National Faculty Development Needs Assessment in Emergency Medicine.

Objectives: Emergency physicians who work in academic settings enjoy an expanding number of roles beyond that of the skilled clinician. Faculty development (FD) encompasses the broad range of activities that institutions use to renew skill-sets and assist faculty members in these multiple roles. This study seeks to define the current FD needs and interests of Canadian academic emergency physicians (AEPs).

Impact of a triage liaison physician on emergency department overcrowding and throughput: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Triage liaison physicians (TLPs) have been employed in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs); however, their effectiveness remains unclear.

Objectives: To evaluate the implementation of TLP shifts at an academic tertiary care adult ED using comprehensive outcome reporting.

Methods: A six-week TLP clinical research project was conducted between December 9, 2005, and February 9, 2006.

Analysis of factors influencing length of stay in the emergency department.

Objectives: Length of stay (LOS) is a key measure of emergency department (ED) throughput and a marker of overcrowding. Time studies that assess key ED processes will help clarify the causes of patient care delays and prolonged LOS. The objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the principal ED patient care time intervals, and to measure the impact of important service processes (laboratory testing, imaging and consultation) on LOS for patients in different triage levels.

The influence of residents training level on their evaluation of clinical teaching faculty.

Background: Evaluations by learners are the most common sources of information on teaching. There is some debate about the role of these assessments, but the overall evaluation of faculty by learners was found to be valid and reliable.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of training of family medicine residents and their evaluation of emergency medicine clinical teachers over time.

Resident evaluation of clinical teachers based on teachers' certification.

Objective: To examine the influence of emergency medicine (EM) certification of clinical teaching faculty on evaluations provided by residents.

Methods: A prospective cohort analysis was conducted of assessments between July 1994 and July 2000 on residents' evaluations of EM faculty at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Resident- and faculty-related variables were entered anonymously using the validated evaluation tool (ER Scale).